I Don't Hate You Too
by The Hobbit's Rhapsody
Summary: Thirty-five sentences for the hotheaded young Fire Lord and his girlfriend who doesn't believe in her dingy gray aura. Fluff!


**A/N: Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino invented and receive all credit for_ Avatar: The Last Airbender_. I just happen to love its characters.**

**This is my first fic for this fandom; I'd really love to hear what you think!**

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1 • **Clueless**

Mai didn't think her boyfriend had any idea how drop-dead sexy he was, but if Zuko's ignorance kept him oblivious to the ridiculous flirting of most of the women in his court, that was fine by her.

2 • **Quirk**

She didn't tell him how she adored his little chuckle at her bland satire of the world; he would only become self-conscious and suppress it.

3 • **Listen**

There were always people who were angry with their Fire Lord for one reason or another, but one word of rebuke from Mai could shut him up like no one's business.

4 • **Loss**

On the night of Sozin's Comet, she could see Azula's telltale lightning from her cell—when no blinding plume of orange followed, her heart quietly broke.

5 • **Gratuitous**

Though the young Fire Lord was known for his generosity and fairness, his wife was much more likely to actually pardon someone, though often without actually listening to their story.

6 • **Defense**

He might have been a firebender and a master of twin butterfly swords, but he didn't doubt that the twenty-three knives Mai kept secreted in her nightclothes and the mattress would serve her just as well if anyone ever interrupted them.

7 • **Muted**

Mai's wedding gown was black with gold piping; though she chose it as the opposite color to traditional white mourning clothes, it somehow suited her better than one might expect.

8 • **Stuck**

Iroh agreed to come out of retirement to serve as regent when Mai refused to be left behind from her boyfriend's quest to find his mother.

9 • **Dance**

When Zuko wanted to reinvigorate the classic Fire Nation dances that had been forgotten during the war, Mai was less than enthusiastic.

10 • **Misconception, I**

"You'd better not be breaking up with me again."

"Mai, who gets down on one knee to dump their girlfriend?"

11 • **Misconception, II**

He had once accused her of being "just one big blah", but when he made her Fire Lady he found out just how wrong he had been.

12 • **Deficiency**

His guilt had never been so visceral as when his wife told him she was pregnant and he felt her trembling—never mind it wasn't his fault his absent mother and psychotic father hadn't passed down any good parenting skills.

13 • **Spark**

He found that if he dug deep enough in her, there was a spark at the heart of all that ice, and he devoted his life to fanning it into a flame.

14 • **Orange**

Neither of them particularly cared for seascapes; the sunset picnics were just an excuse to snuggle in private.

15 • **Retreat**

The Jasmine Dragon was a popular destination for Earth Kingdom folk and Fire Nation tourists alike, but the proprietor was most proud of its status as a favorite date spot for his nephew and soon-to-be niece.

16 • **Unexpected**

Zuko wasn't sure what it said about his wife that the only time he ever saw her throw up her hands in excitement was when the mouthy blind earthbender showed up at the palace with an engagement ring on one hand.

17 • **Mismatch**

People commented that they seemed oddly matched; they knew their opposite edges were what fit them together so well.

18 • **Counterpart**

Zuko and Aang came to get on fabulously; Mai and Katara made an effort, but they were never more than cordial at best.

19 • **Game**

Councilman Wang called it a disgrace when none of the royal family would learn the ancient and honorable art of Pai Sho, but between Lord Zuko's famous temper and Lady Mai's equally notorious lack of enthusiasm, it was probably just as well.

20 • **Routine**

Zuko was constantly astounded at the vast array of skills Mai would pull from seemingly nowhere—she threw knives, mended clothes, solved quadratic equations, changed diapers, and drafted buildings for the new capital all with the same characteristic placidity.

21 • **Comfort**

Mai went to visit Azula once after the war; when she returned, she wouldn't tell Zuko what had happened, only wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his robe.

22 • **Pathway**

Mai wasn't one for flowers or shells or chocolate or the usual pretty commonalities of boyfriend-girlfriend affection, but sometimes Zuko earned a kiss with a simple pot of home-brewed tea.

23 • **Fearless**

Though Zuko knew Mai had her vulnerabilities, she always managed to combat her fears with the love she worked harder still to cultivate.

24 • ** Tranquility**

Fire Lord was one of the world's more stressful occupations, and Zuko came not just to relish but to rely on the supportive presence of—and private moments with—his Lady.

25 • ** Prepared**

"Firebending, karate, _and _shurikens? I know there have been reports of assassins, Zuko, but three years old is kind of young for our daughter to begin all that training, don't you think?"

26 • **Waiting**

When the royal couple took a three-month vacation to Ember Island, nobody was really surprised when Lady Mai returned with an ever-so-slight baby bump.

27 • **Fierce**

Mai discovered two benefits of letting Zuko rant in private: he talked out his anger so he didn't set something on fire, and she relearned how to be angry without going numb.

28 • **Pink**

It was faint, but it was a blush, and he thought it was the prettiest thing she'd ever worn.

29 • **Jealous**

When her and Zuko's dinner date was interrupted by a young Earth Kingdom girl who recognized Zuko immediately and familiarly, Mai might have experienced a slight urge to pin her to the highest building within walking distance and leave her there.

30 • **Birthright**

"Hey—I know our childhoods were terrible and all, but that doesn't mean our children's have to be."

31 • **Cause**

Maybe Azula had only set them up in a ploy to get Zuko back to the Fire Nation to orchestrate his final downfall, but Mai liked to think her own reasons had been rather nicer than that.

32 • **Effect**

When their quarrels reached a point where the servants could actually hear Lady Mai yelling as loudly as her husband, they smiled, commenting on how the royal couple were such a good influence on one another.

33 • **Chance**

Sometimes Mai wondered if her relationship with Zuko had begun as a fluke, especially when their daughter would come asking how to catch a boy's eye and she had no idea what to say.

34 • **Destiny**

When Zuko's arms were around her, it was impossible to believe she could have ever belonged anywhere else.

35 • **Desire**

"You ask me all the time what I want, and there's a reason why I never have an answer—because I already have you."


End file.
